Coming out of the Lull

Run - 5.5 miles (48 minutes)

It really does take a while to recover mentally from a race that you prepare for. The Sprint in Larache was a few weeks back, and I am just now successfully pulling my head from out of the ground. I have been trying to exercise and train, but have lacked all motivation. A few days ago at the pool, I struggled to finish 600 meters. Good thing I only paid 10 MAD to get in (about $1.25).

I think I have been gaining momentum from watching the World Cup, 2010. As I see all these players running hard for 90 minutes, it's reigniting within me a desire to press on. They train constantly. I know I can't do that, but what I can do, I want to do with excellence.

Last week at the pool, I met Zeckeriah, a swim coach for his daughter and Simo's old friend. He took a look at a few of my laps and gave me some great pointers:

*First he had me lift myself out of the water by just using my forearms flat against the ground. "Those are the muscles you should be using when you stroke." Ouch!

*Then he told me to count my strokes for 50 meters: 57, whereas Simo was at 48. "Karim (my new Arabic name), get down to Simo's count. Simo, get down to 42." Still PB is 52.

*Finally, he told us to swim a length with our head out of the water. "If water is coming up to your mouth and nose, you aren't using your arms and legs enough." Talk about almost drowning. And then the sore body for the rest of the day. But what a great workout!

Now I need to find him and buy him a cup of coffee for the excellent advice and help. I think practicing those things will definitely help me get my mile below 30 minutes soon.